As of 2023, RiskSphere was officially launched by Henk-Jelle Reitsma, in collaboration with The Hup. But where did the idea to launch our boutique consultancy firm come from? And what are the values we stand for at RiskSphere? In this article, Henk-Jelle shares his journey to establishing RiskSphere and sheds light on the guiding values that define our company’s operations and culture.
Interview
16 May 2023
minute read
A word from our partner Henk-Jelle: The guiding values of RiskSphere
New horizons and a promise
Henk-Jelle’s professional background in consulting and managerial roles, within the financial sector, played a crucial role in shaping his vision for RiskSphere. After 15 years, Henk-Jelle found himself wondering what his next step could be. “Do you know the song by the Talking Heads, ‘Once in a Lifetime’, with its mesmerizing lyrics: ‘And you may find yourself…And you may ask yourself, ‘Well, how did I get here?’. In early 2022, I found myself feeling exactly this, struck by the fact that I was at the wrong place at the wrong time. Not feeling a connection with colleagues, and not feeling a purpose anymore. It was time to explore new horizons. This new horizon was RiskSphere.”, Henk-Jelle explains.
“I started off as a freelancer, but soon got into talks with The Hup, where I worked before as an associate partner. The Hup is a portfolio company with over fifteen years of experience starting and scaling companies in a variety of industries. We decided to join forces to launch RiskSphere | Sustainability Risk Consulting.” ‘Doing well by doing good’ is a catchphrase that was created early on in the process of creating RiskSphere, and captures the essence of what we stand for. This catchphrase comes from the promise Henk-Jelle made to himself, which is: “From now on, I only contribute to teams or projects where positive, intelligent people work on topics that truly matter to the company and the world at large.”
It’s our mission to assist companies in managing their risks and seize the opportunities of sustainability across the entire risk management cycle. By helping our clients and being a great place to work, we practice what we preach: a more sustainable future on both the individual level and society. We are committed to building a boutique consultancy with a strong focus on solving the issues of our clients while fostering a positive culture of continuous improvement and teamwork.
Our guiding values
“When forming RiskSphere, we formulated a number of statements that outline our values and principles that the team’s work, much like a manifesto.”, Henk-Jelle explains. RiskSphere’s manifesto comprises 9 core statements, which are:
RiskSphere’s Manifesto
1. RiskSphere contributes to a more sustainable future for the planet, humanity, and the economy, in that order.
2. We provide insights into climate and sustainability risks (from short to long term) and help companies act accordingly throughout the entire risk management cycle.
3. RiskSphere is a change agent and offering execution power.
4. RiskSphere supports companies deliver on the combination of an intrinsic motivation and the need to comply with laws and regulations.
5. RiskSphere fosters a culture of respect, inclusiveness, and prioritizing people. It goes without saying that environmental, social and governance factors are important considerations in our strategy and operations.
6. RiskSphere operates as an ecosystem, with a core of permanent employees who take ownership and a group of experts around the company with whom the connection is sought and maintained.
7. The financial sector is the home base and starting point of our business, thanks to the deep knowledge and broad network we have, combined with the large task that lies in the field of sustainability risk. Our ambition is to expand to other sectors in the coming years.
8. We work with clients that need knowledge and expertise or executive power in the broad field of sustainability risk. Typically, these clients include the board and senior leadership in risk, finance, and sustainability.
9. We are content driven and invest heavily in the further development of ourselves as people, professionals, and sustainability experts. We share this information proactively on our online channels.
“We are building a boutique consultancy with a strong focus on solving issues for our clients, while fostering a positive culture of continuous improvement and teamwork."
Making waves
RiskSphere is now undoubtedly making waves in the field of sustainability risk consulting, driven by our commitment to a sustainable future, our team of dedicated professionals, and a dynamic approach to risk management.
Now, just a few months into the journey, the team is growing fast. It’s been quite a ride: “After half a year, our marketing has taken off, resulting in, amongst others, our beautiful (if I may say so) new website. Most importantly, we are making connections: with our clients, as a team, with the larger team within The Hup, and with partners in our ecosystem. And after the summer, a set of new consultants will join our team! It’s truly an exciting time for us.”
Become part of our journey
We are looking for remarkable people to join our ranks. We offer a unique combination of challenging roles, ownership, and the chance to build a consultancy practice with a start-up feel and scale up professionality. Have a glance at our vacancies for more information and let's get in touch!
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